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Ithell Colquhon

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Fascinating exhibition at Tate Britain on the work of the surrealist Ithell Colquhoun. Colquhoun’s dates and work had a similar trajectory to the accompanying show on Edward Burra, with a move from the figurative to the surreal but she took a very different path. The early room featured her student work while at the Slade of mythical scenes with shades of Stanley Spencer, but she soon moved into spiritual and mystical surreal work often employing automatic techniques such as staining paper and then developing it into an image. I must admit I found the mystical aspects of the work such as the occult and Celtic traditions a bit of a turn off, but I liked the colour and vibrancy of the images. I was interested to see the phenomena of the Merry Maidens stone circle near Lamorna mentioned as similar ideas had been quoted in the Triumph of Art celebrations in Trafalgar Square which I’d been to the weekend before. Closes 19 October 2025 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph Even...
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Edward Burra

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Fabulous exhibition at Tate Britain of work by Edward Burra. Burra’s career summed up the early 20th century both in terms of style and subject and this was carefully teased out over six rooms, starting with the vibrant works of the 1920s and a young man discovering himself, through the despair of the Spanish Civil War and Second World War expressed via the surreal, to the relative tranquillity of the post-war years but reflecting a changed world through landscape. My favourite pieces were the early ones showing groups of people in clubs in Paris and New York. You could almost hear the music pumping out of them. Shown with a selection of archive material you got a view of a group of friends enjoying life. I particularly like the pictures of Harlem. He seemed to move suddenly into the surreal with his encounter with violence in Spain before the Civil War. These works were brutal yet drew on some of the earlier imagery.   I liked the inclusion of a room on his theatrical wor...
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Ed Atkins

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Dense exhibition at Tate Britain of work by Ed Atkins. Atkins is mainly known for his computer generated videos often based on motion capture of his own body. There was much technical explanation of these which I found hard to follow and engage with. I liked the imagery but found I was giving them little time. I did however like the instances where they were incorporated into installations particularly one using opera costumes which I had seen before at a Venice Biennale. My favourite pieces were his hyper detailed drawings of his hands and feet and a moving display of Post It Note drawings he included in his daughter’s lunch boxes during Covid. Closed 25 August 2025 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph
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Art Now: Hylozoic/Desires

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Interesting exhibition at Tate Britain featuring a video installation by Hylozoic/Desires. Hylozoic/Desires are two artists Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser and in this work they examine the legacy of the Salt Line, a planted hedge grown by the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent between 1840 and 1880 which separated the British-occupied Bengal Presidency from independent states to prevent smuggling and enforce the British monopoly on salt. The work consisted of a video, interesting display on the floor, which you viewed from a platform, alongside a piece of scenery used in the video. It was beautifully filmed and blended archive material and an imagined narrative. I had seen another work on the same theme by these artists at Somerset House earlier this year so this added to that experience. Closed 25 August 2025
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The Triumph of Art

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Fabulous, fun happening in Trafalgar Square to mark the end of celebrations of the National Gallery’s Bicentenary. Coordinated by contemporary artist Jeremy Deller, the event had grown around the country and this event brought together all the strands into a procession along Whitehall and various performances and events in the square. The procession was led by an inflatable Venus who then took up residence in one of the fountains and included Atlas and his disco world, Adam and Eve, William Morris in a coffin (I’m not sure why) and hordes of dancers and performers. I then watched a wonderful Hogarthian Rave danced by students from the London Contemporary Dance School followed by 21st century Morris dancing complete with dancing rocks. I recovered with a coffee in the new Supporters’ House before having a final look round. It was lovely to see the square so busy and celebrating art and nationality.
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Ghazaleh Avarzamani and Ali Ahadi: Freudian Typo

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Interesting exhibition at the Hayward Gallery of work made in collaboration between two Iranian artists Ghazaleh Avarzamani and Ali Ahadi. The work was described as “a punning and playful critique of Britain's imperial past and exploring ways in which contemporary global economics functions as a continuation of that history”. I’m not sure I understood all the nuances and I’m a bit tired of shows on the topic of colonialism. What was cutting edge is getting a bit repetitive however who can resist a show with a toy cat on a step ladder. Closed 31 August 2025
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Yoshitomo Nara

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Bland exhibition at the Hayward Gallery showcasing the work of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara. I have seen Nara’s work online and must admit do not find it appealing with his big eyed, childlike figures. The commentary helped and I realised there was more depth to the work than I realised but en masse I found it repetitive. I did like the installation representing his studio and a fountain of heads where the water fell as tears. I must say though that I was in a minority. The show had attracted a young audience who were avidly taking selfies, so I suspect there was something that this middle aged lady was missing. Closed 31 August 2025 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph Evening Standard
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